DIY Mandrel Drying Rack

For the longest time, I’ve been balancing my freshly dipped kiln formed bead mold mandrels on whatever is handy. Well, not anymore! If I had have realized how easy it was to make a drying rack, I would have done it ages ago!

To make your own mandrel drying rack you will need:

2 long bamboo skewers or dowels

piece of cardboard, longer than the skewers and at least 6″ wide

ruler

tape

bead mandrel drying rack

Materials for mandrel drying rack

Step 1

All of the mandrels for our bead molds are 5″ long, so we are going to mark lines 4.75″ apart on the cardboard. I started by moving 1″ from the left side, making a mark, then moving over 4.75″ and making another mark.

bead mandrel drying rack

Now do the same towards the bottom of the cardboard sheet.bead mandrel drying rack

Step 2

Tape the skewer onto the cardboard with a piece of tape at each end. Align with the marks on the cardboard.

Bead mandrel drying rackAnd that’s it!

mandrelrackdoneI know it seems ridiculous, but once you start dipping mandrels and have a dedicated place for them to dry, your life will be much easier. This rack will fit a couple dozen mandrels at a time.

Bead Mandrels